WASHINGTON—Republicans and Democrats laid the groundwork to blame each other for a potential government shutdown this weekend as partisan crossfire intensified and negotiations for an immigration deal made little headway.

The government’s funding expires at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and House GOP leaders plan to bring to the floor Thursday or Friday a short-term spending bill to keep the government running through Feb. 16. But the measure faces hurdles in both chambers of Congress and little time to clear them.

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